Ruth Cadbury, MP for Brentford and Isleworth and co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, shares here a classic London route which she takes when the confines of the city grow a bit much, and she needs some open space and a chance to stretch her legs. 

As someone who mainly uses my bike for work rather than leisure, I don’t have many regular nice rides to choose from. But when I do get a chance to get out, I do the Richmond Park circuit – which takes about an hour (if I don’t stop for cake). This can be as leisurely or as sporty as you want it to be, but as some of the ride is along London’s busy roads, it does need some traffic-confidence. As parliamentarians we are campaigning for better, safer, cycling so that most people can feel confident to cycle safely, but sadly in the UK, we’ve got a long way to go to make beginners feel safe riding on our roads.

The park, once Henry VIII’s hunting grounds, is full of variety, but mainly wide open spaces with amazing views, something Londoners need a fix of occasionally! The road around the edge the park is a seven mile circuit with steep climbs and descents and some steady ascents and is used extensively by serious cyclists for race training, such as Paralympian David Weir. I’ve only been this serious once when I went in for a relay stage of the 2016 London 100 Prudential ride as part of Brentford FC Community Sports Trust team, and we trained in the park.

Leaving Brentford the route crosses the Thames at Kew Bridge, joining the busy South Circular for a bit then heading left onto the much quieter route through Kew and along Sandycombe Road. After crossing Upper Richmond Road the real work start as you head up the hill towards the Star & Garter and into Richmond Park. We normally do the circuit anti-clockwise, but you can add variety by heading across the middle. The main route is used by through traffic but there are smooth tarmac and rough paths in the park that are traffic-free, so it’s a great place to take children. We head out of the park through Sheen Gate, down to Mortlake station and the Stag brewery, and home along the Thames towpath, but there are numerous permutations of this route depending how long you’ve got.

Places to stop
Pembroke Lodge just after you enter the park at the Start & Garter (bear right at the roundabout inside the park) is a tea room with great cakes and stunning views west. Also various kiosks are around the park, including the one at Penn Ponds in the middle. There are plenty of pubs en route, and two possible pubs to finish in would be One Over the Ait or the Express, both on the Brentford side of Kew Bridge.